Fiber-reinforced composite structures are commonly used as high-strength, low-weight materials. A fiber-reinforced composite structure includes one or more composite layers, wherein each composite layer includes a reinforcement material and a matrix material. The reinforcement material may include fibers. The matrix material may be a polymeric material, such as a thermoset resin or a thermoplastic resin.
Fiber-reinforced composite structures are manufactured by laying up multiple layers of fiber tow to construct a reinforcement layup (also known as a preform). The fiber tow generally includes fibers (reinforcement material) impregnated with a matrix material. In fiber placement technologies, the fiber tow is generally supplied in tow or in slit tape form from a bulk reel and is pressed onto the underlying layup at a compaction nip using a compaction roller. The fully assembled reinforcement layup is then cured and/or consolidated to form the composite structure.
The curing or consolidation step is commonly performed in an autoclave. Specifically, the reinforcement layup and the associated tool are placed into an autoclave and heated to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined amount of time and then cooled, thereby yielding the final cured or consolidated part. The process can be time consuming and, thus, expensive. Furthermore, the tool upon which the reinforcement layup is assembled must be highly engineered to accommodate the autoclave process, thereby further increasing manufacturing costs.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of fiber-reinforced composite structures.